1 - 20 of 72 Works by Mackem
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Somehow, despite all of that, she simply cannot understand how Jaskier writes music. Not in an insulting way; she is sure he must be talented, if the reputation he keeps telling her he has is anywhere near as lofty as he suggests. It’s just that she doesn’t understand how it happens at all; while she can picture herself fighting like Geralt and channelling chaos like Yennefer, she cannot imagine how she would go about writing a piece of music.
She finds herself blurting the question out, surprising both him and herself equally. She truly had not meant to bring it up at all, but she is so relaxed, listening to Jaskier strum his lute as rain drums on the roof of the cottage, and her idle thoughts float from her mouth without her brain bothering to vet them first. “How do you write songs?”
Series
- Part 2 of All Those Wonders Sit In Wait For Us
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Notches On The Wall Of My Solitary Cell by Mackem
Fandoms: Alan Wake (Video Games), Control (Video Game)
28 Jan 2024
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“Look, Jesse, please, they are keeping me here against my will and it is vital that I get out. Will you open this fucking cage for me? There has to be a way to do it in their damn observatory.” He waves a hand sharply at the office above them. “Please, go look.”
Jesse ignores his request, steps off the last stair, and moves into the room. Alan watches her, and she sees his eyes dart down as he spots the Service Weapon in her hand. He groans and slumps over at the sight of it, the desperate energy that had been vibrating through him changing into something more resigned. “Fuck, you are one of those Bureau assholes?” His fingers run shakily through his hair, catching on knots.
“Apparently,” she says, glancing down at the Service Weapon. It feels right in her hand, and part of her hates that; hates that it feels like an extension of her. “They say I’m the Director.”
“Director? Wait, so you’re the one in charge?” Alan lifts his head. His eyes are blazing. “Not Darling?”
“You know Dr Darling?”
Alan’s lips curl angrily. “You could say that!” His fist thuds off the glass with a dull thunk. “He’s been keeping me locked up and running experiments on me for – for I don’t know how long!”
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Alice is on her tiptoes, pulling flour out of an overhead cupboard, when she feels a presence at her back. She can’t help but let out a surprised noise, even though this was her goal when she started puttering about in the kitchen. It dissolves into a sheepish laugh when arms curl around her waist and a chin rests on her shoulder, slotting perfectly against the line of her throat like they were made to fit together.
“Sorry.” Alan’s voice is thick with sleep, dozy and quiet in the soft light of the kitchen. Alice hums as his lips brush against her neck; she still isn’t used to the feel of his beard, but she finds that she likes the scratch of it against her skin. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
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A Night In by Mackem
Fandoms: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
28 Oct 2023
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Crowley meets his gaze over the top of his glasses again. His grin is as sardonic as ever, but his eyes are creased fondly at the corners. “It starts tonight, angel. I could sort it all out for you, if you want?”
“Would you?” Aziraphale smiles broadly. Warmth spreads from his stomach into his chest, bright and sparkling, as Crowley nods without hesitation. “That would be wonderful of you, my dear. You know what I’m like with new-fangled technology.”
“New-fangled?” Crowley sighs, seemingly long-suffering, but amusement lurks behind it. “The telly is approaching being a century old at this point, you know. Look, leave it all to me, all right? I’ll pop round tonight.”
“Oh, thank you, Crowley!”
“No problem. Why don’t I bring some wine with me? We can have a night in.”
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Such A Romantic Affair by Mackem
Fandoms: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens (TV)
05 Aug 2023
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Aziraphale turns just enough to take in the group of people as they dance. He watches for a second, buoyed by their happiness; none of them are dancing the same steps, or moving in the same ways, but all of them are smiling, their laughter as light as air. The music wafts over them, caressing them as they move through it, as if they were meant to be there. As though the world had not almost ended mere days ago.
As though it never could.
He grasps Crowley’s hand in his and takes a step towards the dancers, stretching their arms out between them. “Dance with me!”
“We don’t know how to dance!” Crowley protests, but he still follows Aziraphale, as he always has.
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She is finally going to her room after dutifully wolfing some stew when she notices something on the edge of her hearing. It takes her a long moment to realise that it is not part of the usual sounds of Kaer Morhen.
Ciri has become used to the click of boots on stone, and the perpetual whistle of the wind around the crumbling battlements. She has learned to drown out the skittering of rodents and the distant rumbling conversations of the keep’s inhabitants.
She is not used to hearing singing here.
Series
- Part 1 of All Those Wonders Sit In Wait For Us
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“C’mon, it’s not that bad,” Steve grins to himself. A rumble of thunder punctuates his words. “It’s just a little rain! You have an umbrella, right?”
Dustin huffs irritably. “I don’t think an umbrella is gonna do much when an entire goddamn lake is falling on me, but thanks for the vote of confidence. Did you want something, or did you just call to laugh at me? Apparently I need to go find a goddamn jet-ski before school starts!”
“Okay, okay, I’m not just calling to make fun of you, dude!” Steve doesn’t bother to hide his laughter at the kid’s theatrics. “As if I’m gonna let you ride to school in this. I’m gonna pick you up.”
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He reaches out to poke Ed in the chest, and grins as he huffs a laugh. “Look at you! All this tension in your muscles! You’re all wound up. You’d feel more yourself after a nap. Less tense.”
Ed arches an eyebrow. “There’s lots of ways to feel less tense.”
“And this is one of the easiest ones. No effort required! All you have to do is lie there.”
“Doesn’t sound that different to some other ways.”
“You could use my bed, if you like?” Ed falls abruptly silent as Stede beams up at him. “It’s very comfortable. Cosy! I reckon you could really relax in my bed.”
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“Gentlemen, please! Calm down! Nobody’s getting another go!” Stede says decisively, but excitement underlies his voice. He paces around in front of the group and smiles like he’s having the time of his life. “You know, I can’t believe none of you have ever done a pier jumping contest before. You’re all naturals!”
Ed smiles to himself as he takes another swig. They’re pirates. They’re moderately successful, they’re occasionally bloodthirsty, and they’re all wanted criminals.
And yet they’re all lining up to fling themselves into the sea, because their captain thought a group activity would be ‘good for morale’, and he’s surprisingly persuasive.
There’s no way Stede should have been able to talk them into this. The crew have enough swords and pistols between them that the second the words, “Why don’t we have a contest, for a bit of a giggle?” left his lips, Stede should have been more full of holes than a particularly tattered fishing net.
And yet, here they are, doing as he suggested and actually enjoying themselves in the process. It’s amazing.
He’s amazing.
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Edér turns away, ready to follow the Watcher, when a sudden pressure at his shoulder stops him in his tracks.
He looks back in surprise, and is startled to see Aloth’s slender fingers gripping his shoulder. His eyebrows rise in astonishment as his mouth falls open. He can count the number of times Aloth has voluntarily reached out to touch him on one hand.
He’s pictured it happening many more times, in the privacy of his own mind, but Aloth doesn’t need to know that. Those thoughts lead nowhere, and will follow Edér to his grave.
Edér hurriedly steadies his pipe before it can fall from his gaping lips and turns towards him, about to ask if he’s feeling well, when he finds himself dragged into a tight embrace.
Series
- Part 1 of To Me You're A Shining Light
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“Fancy seeing you here!” Xichen calls, and Wangji carefully turns the two of them to face him with an expression of mild surprise. Bichen is tucked beneath one arm, with a bag hanging from that hand, while the other holds Yuan steady on his shoulders. He nods at the sight of Xichen; perhaps those who do not know him might think it a cold response, but Xichen knows him well enough to see the tiny smile that tugs briefly at the corner of his mouth.
Yuan, his mouth already closing around the bun, brightens like the sun. He beams through an enormous bite and waves the bun cheerfully. A few seconds of industrious chewing later, he offers a crumby, “Hello Uncle Xichen!”
“Good afternoon!” Xichen keeps his eyes on Yuan’s face, and carefully schools his expression into one of astonishment. Playing with his nephew has always amused him, and he’s in too good a humour not to have some fun. “Goodness me, Yuan, you’ve grown a lot in the past few days!”
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Jingyi fiddles fretfully with his robes, practically vibrating on the spot by Sizhui’s side. “They’re here!”
“Relax,” Sizhui soothes, and hides his smile as best he can with Jingyi’s exasperated groan.
“Why aren’t you terrified?” he hisses. “They’re your parents!”
Sizhui laughs, and does not bother to repress the sound. “Jingyi, that’s why I’m not terrified!”
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“Okay, all right, well, I think we’re done here,” Eddie sighs, but when he glances into the rear-view mirror, he sees a smile on his face, and his cheeks are flushed. He frowns as something occurs to him. “Wait, are we? What did you call me for?”
“You called me, Eduardo.”
“I called you back, idiot!”
“Yeah, yeah. I dunno, man,” Richie says easily enough. Eddie can hear his fingers rattling against some hard surface as he talks, restlessly drumming as he speaks. “I saw Stan, and suddenly I realised that I fucking missed him, and then hot on the tails of that I was like… man, do I miss Eddie, jeez! So I called. That’s all. No biggie.”
“Oh,” Eddie breathes, and does not try to stop the pleased smile blooms with Richie’s words. “I, uh. I miss you too, jackass. God only knows why, but I do.”
Richie groans happily. “Man, that’s the stuff! Nobody insults me like you do, Eds.”
“Nobody deserves it like you,” Eddie grins, and Richie bursts into laughter. Eddie’s soul soars at the sound of it.
Series
- Part 1 of Can You Imagine When This Race Is Won?
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“Hey, Rich?”
“Hmm?”
“What’re we gonna do for Christmas?”
“What do you mean?” His hands tug lightly at Eddie’s hair. “Is this about – listen, I’m telling you, man, your gifts aren’t even hidden in the damn wardrobe, so -”
“- That’s not what I meant.” Eddie pauses, and raises his head to smirk at Richie. “But you wouldn’t mind if I checked, then?”
Richie’s face moves through panic, terror, and finally morphs into an unconvincingly casual mask. “I mean, I would care, because you’d have to hire a crane to get yourself high enough to see up there, and that can get pretty expensive, y’know?”
“Oh, so you only care about my finances? That’s what this is about?”
“Obviously. Your money, and nothing else. How am I supposed to be a trophy boyfriend if my man ain’t even loaded?”
“More like a trophy dickhead,” Eddie snorts, without any fire, and snuggles into Richie’s shoulder. “That really isn’t what I meant, though. What’re we gonna do for Christmas, like, to celebrate it?”
Series
- Part 2 of Can You Imagine When This Race Is Won?
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Never Doubt by Mackem for dairyme
Fandoms: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens (TV)
26 Aug 2019
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When Aziraphale casually happens to mention that there is a new run of Hamlet opening at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre tomorrow, all Crowley does is roll his eyes, offer a token moan about over-egging miracles a few centuries ago and suffering for it now, and pull two tickets from thin air.
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A Better Place For Us To Be by Mackem for dairyme
Fandoms: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens (TV)
17 Aug 2019
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A smile spreads across Aziraphale’s face. “You’re not speaking hypothetically, are you?” he asks softly, because he needs to be sure. Because they spent millennia not saying how they felt, and he would prefer never to face that uncertainty again. “Do you really mean it, Crowley? You’d like to move somewhere else? Together?”
“Of course together. There’s no me without you,” Crowley says immediately, his voice low and tender. Aziraphale reaches out to him instinctively with a soft noise, and Crowley lets himself be reeled closer when Aziraphale fastens a hand around his wrist. He chuckles affectionately when Aziraphale nuzzles briefly into his lean stomach, overcome for just a moment by the warmth in Crowley’s voice.
Sometimes he wonders how on Earth he managed to persuade himself that Crowley had ever felt anything other than love for him, when the sheer force of it is like a tidal wave crashing over him, washing away millennia of doubt.
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Desire Dividing Me by Mackem for dairyme
Fandoms: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens (TV)
25 Jul 2019
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“Well, nevertheless – I believe I’ve noticed something about you,” he goes on, remembering the purpose of his conversation. He reaches out to run a hand through Crowley’s hair, burying his fingers in his soft, messy strands and ruffling them further. Crowley shudders, and Aziraphale feels a satisfied smile creep onto his face. “I believe you’ve been quite unjustly starved of physical affection, my dear, because nothing makes you relax quite like being touched.”
Crowley’s face screws up, but his expression seems closer to thoughtful than derisive. To prove his point, Aziraphale slides his hand through his hair, making sure to tug ever so slightly, and Crowley practically melts with the contact. The tension in his shoulders drops for a moment, and he lets out a soft groan as his eyes close.
“You see?” Aziraphale murmurs, leaning into Crowley’s space to lock eyes with him. He offers a teasing, self-satisfied smile, and adds, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say the effect is nothing short of miraculous.”
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Build Our Kingdom by Mackem for dairyme
Fandoms: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens (TV)
19 Jun 2019
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“Ready for lunch?” Crowley drops to his knees to start unbuckling the straps on the basket as though this is something they do all the time; as though he hasn’t just effortlessly catapulted Aziraphale back in time almost fifty years.
“You remembered,” Aziraphale breathes as wonder courses through him. He mentioned something once during an awkward moment, half a century ago, and now here kneels a demon atop a picnic blanket.
“Hmm?” Crowley barely shoots him a sidelong glance as he concentrates on opening the basket.
Aziraphale’s eyes do not move from him. “You remembered,” he repeats, no less stunned. “Crowley, you really didn’t have to.”
Crowley’s hands still. Eventually, his eyes still on the basket, he murmurs, “Well, we did The Ritz, didn’t we?”
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“I’m sure I can manage,” Aloth demurs, but it does not stop Edér from moving to his side and taking his arm as he levers himself to his feet. His breath catches as strong hands wrap around his elbow and forearm, supporting him effortlessly as he approaches the cloak. He hesitates before moving to lie down, and his voice is reedy when he tells Edér, “The, um, the wound is – is on my upper thigh.”
“You need a hand getting your trousers down?” Edér offers immediately, and Aloth chokes.
“No!” he protests, as his ears steadily turn red and Iselmyr battles hard to take control of his mouth. “That was not my meaning! I, I merely meant that I should like some privacy while I undress!”
“Well, sure, whatever you need,” Edér says amiably, as though he hasn’t given Aloth’s spiralling brain enough fodder to torture him with for years. He helps Aloth down to balance on his knees, then turns away once he’s certain he’s not about to keel over. “Let me know when you’re ready for me.”
Series
- Part 2 of To Me You're A Shining Light
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Yeah, not a bad effort, as backsides go. She hadn't noticed it before, but then, she's really never had much of a reason to notice Barry, let alone his rear end.
And, again, it’s right there.
Oh, it’s too inviting. Can she really be expected not to take advantage of this opportunity, when the universe presented him to her like this? Head down, ass up…
The perfect target.